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It was a game that
had to look familiar to everyone who follows Avon Lake
football: a hard fought, defense-dominated struggle against the North Olmsted
Eagles. As usual when these two teams
meet, the play in the trenches was extremely physical and big plays on offense
were hard to come by. The Shoremen
ground game showed signs of life, grinding out 167 tough yards, led by Zach
Johnson’s 85 yards on 20 carries. But it
was the defense that stepped up big to preserve the win, forcing two key
turnovers in the fourth quarter when it looked like the Eagles had all the
momentum.
Avon Lake kicked off and only yielded 5 yards on three running
plays, forcing a punt that Pete Lancione returned to midfield. A couple of runs by Johnson produced a first
down at the 39. Trent Toy hit Ronnie Willoughby
for nine yards on an out pattern, then threw a bubble
screen to Alex Grunick for another eight.
After a false start penalty, Johnson picked up five on an inside run and
then Toy found Willoughby on that same out pattern to the right to give the
Shoremen a first and goal at the nine.
On fourth and one, fullback Chris Jedlicka crashed across the goal line,
and Brad Brill’s PAT made it 7-0 with four minutes left in the first quarter. North
Olmsted came back with a nice drive of their own,
moving to the Shoremen 29 in six plays.
But the defense dug in and stopped a bubble screen on 4th
& three for no gain, and the good guys took over at their own 22. The offense was clicking again, mounting a 15
play drive that began with a 15 yard run on a toss sweep by Johnson. Toy picked four yards on a sneak on 4th
& 1, and a nice mix of pass & run moved the ball to the 26. From there, Toy threw left for Willoughby, but the pass
was batted up in the air by a soaring Eagle.
Trent
caught the ball, turned upfield, and ran to the 15 for another first down. A 3rd & nine pass to Grunick
was good for a first down at the four, and two plays
later Johnson found a big hole on the right side and cruised in for the score
with 2:22 left in the half. This time
the PAT kick sailed wide. The Shoremen
forced another three and out, and were able to move to the 17 on a post pattern
to Willoughby. But with time running short, three passes
fell incomplete, leaving the halftime score at 13-0.
Starting the
second half, Avon
Lake made one first down,
then punted to the Eagle 32. North
Olmsted followed suit, punting after on first
down. This one rolled out of bounds at
the 7, leaving the Shoremen
in quite a hole. Johnson
carried for 12 yards and a first down, but then the Shoremen stalled and had to
punt again. Starting from their 31, the Eagles went 69
yards in ten plays, featuring a 25 yard quarterback sneak and a 28 yard pass
and run on fourth and eight. Eagle QB
Michael Shoemaker snuck in from the one, and the Eagles trailed by just six
with 11: 57 to play in the fourth. The
Shoremen failed to make a first down after receiving the kickoff and punted
again. Thomas Thogmartin chased down
Eagle speedster Marc Remy and jarred the ball loose. The Shoremen recovered at
the fumble at the 30, and appeared to have the game in hand when Dontez Smith
went 27 yards for an apparent touchdown.
A holding call negated the score, but Toy ran for a first down at the
20. On fourth down, Brill’s field goal
attempt never really had a chance, and the Eagles took over with four and a
half minutes left in the game. A sweep
to the left moved the ball to the North
Olmsted 35, and then they converted a 4th
& 13 with a 17 yard completion on a slant to the 49. On third down, Brett Bass came up with
another huge defensive play, picking off a pass by Shoemaker and returning it
to the 35. Avon Lake
picked up one first down, and Toy took a knee twice to end the game.
Notes:
·
Five of the last
ten years, Avon Lake
has beaten North Olmsted
by scores similar scores: 12-6 in 2001;
14-7 in 2002; 13-6 in 2003; 12-6 in 2008; and 13-7 this year.
·
When Trent Toy
completed that yard pass to himself, he was credited with 11 yards passing and
11 yards receiving. Does that count as
22 yards of total offense for him?
(Home) (Photos)
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Avon
Lake
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7
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6
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0
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0
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13
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North Olmsted
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0
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0
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0
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7
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7
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NO
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A.L.
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First downs
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9
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14
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Rush Yds
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122
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167
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Pass Yds
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75
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64
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Passes att-comp-int
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14-6-1
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12-7-0
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Fumbles-lost
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1-1
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0-0
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Penalties
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3-20
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7-45
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AL – Jedlicka 1 run (Brill kick)
AL – Johnson
2 run (kick failed)
NO – Shoemaker 1 run (Stone-Weiss kick)